It was midnight on the murder mile
Wilson Pickett`s finest hour
I was walking towards the flashing smile
Of the Crystal Palace Tower
Past the big old church where the hands of God
Were stuck on lucky 7
And the bells inside were limbering up
For a sawn-off-shotgun wedding
Frome gas board to the fire brigade
There`s a dozen GPO`s
An all night chicken takeaway
Which was finger lickin` closed
As I passed the wonder of good old Woolworth`s
My travelcard expired
It was midnight on the murder mile
O.K. let`s riot!
In the avenues and alleyways
I took a short-cut to the throat
I was stitched up by the boys brigade
And I was beaten to a pulp
I was marinaded, regurgitated
And served up as a cold meat
And as they shoved me in the blender
I remembered Daddy told me
CHORUS
If the concrete and the clay beneath your feet
Don`t get you son
The avenues and alleyways are gonna do it
Just for fun
They`ll suck you in and they`ll spit you out
And leave your family lonely
The telephones on sticks will tell you
999 calls only
But it`s too late to call the fire brigade
An ambulance or the cops
I need the Father, Son and Holy Coast Guard
Operator!
Long distance, information get me Jesus on the line
I need communion, confirmation and absolution for my crimes
I need a character witness jesus I think I`m about to die
I saw my whole life flash before me when the night bus passed me by
It was 3 O`clock on the murder mile
When I came to my senses
And my only death wish was that I had
A sockful of fifty pences
A public execution that the whole neighbourhood could watch
Or just a phone box, a phone box, my kingdom for a phone box